Cold weather, generators, and campgrounds

[cptqueeg]

My wife and I were at Yellowstone the past few days at NPS campground Madison, which is run by Xanterra. It was pretty cold and snowy for several days, not extreme, but a little "rough" for mid-October.

The campground rules are no generators btwn 8pm - 8am. There were many in the campground that ran their generators intermittently all through night. My question is this:

Is this complete disregard for the rules and FELLOW CAMPERS acceptable in light of the conditions?

[dedmiston]

Many of the responses in this thread are just as ignorant and inconsiderate as leaving your gen running overnight when you're camped with neighbors.

So disappointing.

The thread will look very different after taking out all the garbage. Please don't bother starting a new thread complaining about why I closed this thread. If you don't know, then you won't understand.

[dedmiston]

Adding my own opinion before closing the thread...

If you aren't prepared to get through the night without negatively impacting your neighbors, then don't camp. Get your act together and figure out all your systems, but don't turn your problems into my problems. If you're uncertain, either camp in your driveway until you get it right or head to the boondocks where nobody else will be affected.

Will your neighbors complain when you camp in your driveway and run your gen all night? Heck yeah they will. And rightfully so. And the nuisance is 10x worse at camp where people are trying to get a little solitude and they're packed tightly next to you in their thin-walled rolling homes.

Put yourself in your fellow human's shoes and consider how you'd feel if you had to camp next to a noisy camper like you. Be self aware and don't be obnoxious.

[cptqueeg]

Veebyes wrote:
Sorry, I don't see why I would have to lose sleep due to generator noise for the comfort of others.

The cold weather should be no surprise. It is October & the altitude is high. If you are not prepared for dry camping & the generator use hours, you should not be there. You should be in a CG outside of the park that has power & you can run your heaters to your hearts content.

Being prepared with a decent sized battery bank & ample propane for the furnace is not hard.

Turn the heat down. Put extra blankets on & snuggle up. Nobody want to listen to your generator that should not be on.

Thank you.







So far I have learned:

1. Use ear plugs - wife's idea

2. Be reborn as a heavy sleeper

3. Travel in a well insulated RV so you can't hear the surroundings that we came to enjoy

4. Folks are happy to turn the other persons cheek (as long as they're not affected)

5. Get over it!

[Veebyes]

Sorry, I don't see why I would have to lose sleep due to generator noise for the comfort of others.

The cold weather should be no surprise. It is October & the altitude is high. If you are not prepared for dry camping & the generator use hours, you should not be there. You should be in a CG outside of the park that has power & you can run your heaters to your hearts content.

Being prepared with a decent sized battery bank & ample propane for the furnace is not hard.

Turn the heat down. Put extra blankets on & snuggle up. Nobody want to listen to your generator that should not be on.

[time2roll]

My water heater runs 24/7 at home, why not in the RV?

[roostonu]

Skibane wrote:
Why on earth would you leave your water heater on overnight?

Are you prone to sleep-showering?

The same reason anyone would run their water heater at anytime. They like to have hot water when they turn on the hot water spigot. They don't want to have to plan their hot water usage. I don't know how many of you enjoy RVing when so much of the process bothers you lol, and it takes a month of planning and appliance schedules to get through a week of camping. I can see planning your usage to conserve fuel, depending on the length of stay but if anyone doesn't want to hear a sound from my rig at night, I suggest YOU move cause I'm not breaking any rules. In my opinion, if you expect my site to be silent while you sleep or any other time, you are the unreasonable and inconsiderate person. I'm running the furnace to stay warm and I'm running the hot water heater so anytime I turn on the hot water it's there. I am not scheduling my hot water or furnace use. I use it because I have it to use and it's not breaking any rules.

[Boon_Docker]

[MT_BOB]

"People seem to find that breaking, bending, or changing the rules to make themselves happy at the expense of others is pretty much the order of the day. This isn't just an rv problem by any means."

Quote of the day!!!!!!!!!!!!

[toedtoes]

wapiticountry wrote:

Thank you for being a voice of reason. There are so few of them today. To the "rules are rules" people", do you really believe that to be a line that is never, ever to be crossed? If the speed limit is 25, you don't exceed that if you are taking someone to the hospital who is experiencing a heart attack? Were everyday Germans in the 1940s just following the rules when they betrayed the hiding places of Jews who were then sent to the gas chambers?

First, had there been an extenuating circumstance, then most everyone would be fine with not following the rule.

But, per the OP, this was not one or two RVs, this was pretty much the entire loop. And the weather was typical for the location and time.

That significantly reduces the chance that this was an extenuating circumstance.

To use your example, if one person exceeds the 25mph speed limit, it's potentially possible that they are rushing to the hospital. But if 10 out of 15 cars are exceeding the speed limit, then it is highly unlikely that they are all rushing to the hospital and much more likely that they are simply ignoring the law.

As for your other example, that is so far out of the realm of comparison as to be nonsensical. You can't compare human atrocities to following a no generator rule at a campground.

[ktmrfs]

" breaking the rules" when it ONLY affect the said person is one thing. E.G. parking partly on the grass when not allowed.

"breaking the rules" when it affects others. E.G. running a generator after allowed hours, partying after quiet time, affecting others peace and quiet, sleep etc. is a completely different issue IMHO. It shows a complete disregard for others and a "I'm the important one screw you" attitude.

[wapiticountry]

cptqueeg wrote:

wapiticountry wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
And another 4 pages of proof of how fickle some people can be….
Call LEOs at 2:30am because of a generator running? Seriously?
Was it rude? Yes, sounds like it.
Although 15deg with a wind could suck down a camper battery pretty quick if unprepared.
But then we’re not all the “perfectly prepared” campers that the rvnet royalty profess to be.
Would it be more palatable if you knew some of the gennys were running to keep someone’s newborn baby warm while the new parents were trying to experience camping? (This argument is like the wdh argument, can never be too safe, right? Lol)
Or would it be ok if it was a couple old folks who needed to stay warm or their cpap died? (Cpaps ARE figuratively the wdhs of the medical world…hahaha)

Or is it better to sit in anger and just “know” that some delinquent is running their genny just to ruin your night and they’re probably playing xbox at 2 am and that’s what used up their battery?

See, many different scenarios.
All are a rude reason, inherently, to disturb others, so maybe should call the cops!!

Maybe I’m blessed to be a heavy sleeper. Or maybe I just have more/more important things to worry about and occupy my time with. So maybe it’s just me…

Thank you for being a voice of reason. There are so few of them today. To the "rules are rules" people", do you really believe that to be a line that is never, ever to be crossed? If the speed limit is 25, you don't exceed that if you are taking someone to the hospital who is experiencing a heart attack? Were everyday Germans in the 1940s just following the rules when they betrayed the hiding places of Jews who were then sent to the gas chambers?
Yes, those campers running generators outside of generator hours were very likely unprepared. It happens to most everyone at some time or the other. I wonder how those complaining about it would feel if they got lost in the woods or ran out of gas everyone else took the position that they should have been prepared, so whatever happens to them happens, no help or compassion should be given. I would like to think if I am ever caught unprepared, someone will help me, or at least understand I made a mistake.

They put their needs above all others. Yes they were unprepared, but it's my contention they knew they were unprepared and are depending on breaking the rules to make themselves comfortable w no regard to those affected.

I live and owned businesses in Montana. Yes, tourists are often unprepared for the changing Mountain weather and effects of altitude. They have never experienced it. But then again, I (and I suspect You, being you apparently are in Idaho) would be unprepared to seamlessly navigate the New York Subway system or the Religious and cultural norms of a Middle Eastern Country.
Part of always being prepared is being prepared to deal with others who do not follow all the rules. That's why you still look both ways before crossing a street even if there is a crosswalk and pedestrians have the right of way.

[blt2ski]

Skibane wrote:
Why on earth would you leave your water heater on overnight?

Are you prone to sleep-showering?

Some of us camped for 2-3+ days in temps from 0-30F NEED it on 24hrs a day so the tank will not freeze! A single night down to 20F, then back up to 40F the next day is not an issue.

Oh and YES, I did have to break the no generators at night at local ski area once as many of us did. Due to LP running out at 2-3 am, Turning on at 5 am so we could electric heater heat rv. WIth 4 kids under 12 at the time, best option. I did apologize to fellow ski instructors/patrolers in the overnight lot, bought a beer or two at the end of said sunday and following weekend...No one bit my head off, as most of us had an issue in the 10-15 years I was up their at some point in time. We banded together and helped ea other.

Marty

[cptqueeg]

wapiticountry wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
And another 4 pages of proof of how fickle some people can be….
Call LEOs at 2:30am because of a generator running? Seriously?
Was it rude? Yes, sounds like it.
Although 15deg with a wind could suck down a camper battery pretty quick if unprepared.
But then we’re not all the “perfectly prepared” campers that the rvnet royalty profess to be.
Would it be more palatable if you knew some of the gennys were running to keep someone’s newborn baby warm while the new parents were trying to experience camping? (This argument is like the wdh argument, can never be too safe, right? Lol)
Or would it be ok if it was a couple old folks who needed to stay warm or their cpap died? (Cpaps ARE figuratively the wdhs of the medical world…hahaha)

Or is it better to sit in anger and just “know” that some delinquent is running their genny just to ruin your night and they’re probably playing xbox at 2 am and that’s what used up their battery?

See, many different scenarios.
All are a rude reason, inherently, to disturb others, so maybe should call the cops!!

Maybe I’m blessed to be a heavy sleeper. Or maybe I just have more/more important things to worry about and occupy my time with. So maybe it’s just me…

Thank you for being a voice of reason. There are so few of them today. To the "rules are rules" people", do you really believe that to be a line that is never, ever to be crossed? If the speed limit is 25, you don't exceed that if you are taking someone to the hospital who is experiencing a heart attack? Were everyday Germans in the 1940s just following the rules when they betrayed the hiding places of Jews who were then sent to the gas chambers?
Yes, those campers running generators outside of generator hours were very likely unprepared. It happens to most everyone at some time or the other. I wonder how those complaining about it would feel if they got lost in the woods or ran out of gas everyone else took the position that they should have been prepared, so whatever happens to them happens, no help or compassion should be given. I would like to think if I am ever caught unprepared, someone will help me, or at least understand I made a mistake.

They put their needs above all others. Yes they were unprepared, but it's my contention they knew they were unprepared and are depending on breaking the rules to make themselves comfortable w no regard to those affected.

[wapiticountry]

Grit dog wrote:
And another 4 pages of proof of how fickle some people can be….
Call LEOs at 2:30am because of a generator running? Seriously?
Was it rude? Yes, sounds like it.
Although 15deg with a wind could suck down a camper battery pretty quick if unprepared.
But then we’re not all the “perfectly prepared” campers that the rvnet royalty profess to be.
Would it be more palatable if you knew some of the gennys were running to keep someone’s newborn baby warm while the new parents were trying to experience camping? (This argument is like the wdh argument, can never be too safe, right? Lol)
Or would it be ok if it was a couple old folks who needed to stay warm or their cpap died? (Cpaps ARE figuratively the wdhs of the medical world…hahaha)

Or is it better to sit in anger and just “know” that some delinquent is running their genny just to ruin your night and they’re probably playing xbox at 2 am and that’s what used up their battery?

See, many different scenarios.
All are a rude reason, inherently, to disturb others, so maybe should call the cops!!

Maybe I’m blessed to be a heavy sleeper. Or maybe I just have more/more important things to worry about and occupy my time with. So maybe it’s just me…

Thank you for being a voice of reason. There are so few of them today. To the "rules are rules" people", do you really believe that to be a line that is never, ever to be crossed? If the speed limit is 25, you don't exceed that if you are taking someone to the hospital who is experiencing a heart attack? Were everyday Germans in the 1940s just following the rules when they betrayed the hiding places of Jews who were then sent to the gas chambers?
Yes, those campers running generators outside of generator hours were very likely unprepared. It happens to most everyone at some time or the other. I wonder how those complaining about it would feel if they got lost in the woods or ran out of gas everyone else took the position that they should have been prepared, so whatever happens to them happens, no help or compassion should be given. I would like to think if I am ever caught unprepared, someone will help me, or at least understand I made a mistake.